The Honda VFR400 as Secondhand Motorcycle

The Honda VFR400 was, and remains, a master class in miniaturization. In a package weighing around the same as a Yamaha RD400, but with 50 percent more power, the Honda VFR400 could hardly fail to be popular.

It was in its home country that the smallest Honda VFR really grabbed the hearts and minds of riders. Japan's officious and expensive sales taxes and hard to get big bike license have long precluded ownership of bigger motorcycles for many riders. This has always jaundiced the bigger motorcycle sales in favor of the sub-400cc sector and the 400cc Honda VFR in all its guises found a ready legion of buyers.

The Honda VFR400 quickly became something of a cult bike in its own right and it's easy to see why. Effectively a smaller version of the Honda VFR750, the VFR400 appeals a wide cross section of riders. Those of shorter stature find the motorcycle easy to access, it makes a very credible first-motorcycle, it has a good reputation for build quality and, perhaps most importantly, it has that unique V-four cachet.Just like its bigger brother the Honda VFR400 is deceptive in the way it makes speed. The lazy exhaust note and apparent relaxed power delivery are normally at odds with numbers on the speedo. Just like their big brothers the Honda VFR400s are deceptively fast and make 14,500rpm seems like child's play.

Knowing that the even good examples generally go now-a-days for an affordable price on the secondhand market you might just want to grab a slice of the low fat V-four pie before they're all gone.